Chapter 114: Katrina III—Under the Bed
Montreal—1986
Mommy was practically screaming in the next room, Katrina could hear her. How loud was she wailing? It was annoying, it was one of the reasons that man, whom she didn’t want to call Daddy hit her so much. He would tell her to shut up all the time and she would never do it. Didn’t she know that if she would just be quiet like she was supposed to then everything would be fine? Of course she didn’t so she always got hit again and again and again. Katrina knew when to shut-up, above all she knew when not to be seen, and she would hide under her bed.
Now Mommy had taken them away to these strange people, the blond lady had taken her into the bathroom, and talking to her very sweetly, she began to run a bath. Still the water and her nice voice couldn’t hide the shrill voice of her mother as she screamed to or at that skinny reddish haired man with the crooked nose. She wondered if that man would hit her too, to shut her up.
"Are you sure you’re not hurt?" the lady said, picking through her blood matted hair and peeking like the monkeys at the zoo. Katrina could see their reflection in the bathroom mirror and that’s what she thought of. She didn’t like the zoo, she had been there only once but the animals paced back and forth, and it smelled.
"No," Katrina said calmly. "I’m hungry. It’s just Mommy’s blood."
"Well let’s get you cleaned up, shall we?" the lady said with a smile. Her eyes were a pretty shade of blue. Katrina decided that maybe she didn’t like her. She wanted blue eyes too, and yellow hair.
Katrina lifted her arms obediently as the lady pulled her blood smeared nightie off and as she stood there in the cold bathroom, naked and trembling, the lady peered at her, turning her around before she smiled again. Katrina couldn’t help thinking that there was something weird about her smile; it was almost like a smile that didn’t want to stay on her face or didn’t belong.
"Not a bruise," she said in a pleasant voice. "Not a cut, you’re not hurt at all."
"I know," Katrina said almost angrily. "I told you!"
"So sorry," she said quickly. "Sometimes adults don’t hear the little ones the first time. Now into the tub, see I’ve put bubbles into it, nice?"
It was nice and Katrina almost smiled looking at the bubbles. She had always seen bubble baths on the television or heard people talk about them, but she had never seen them. She reached her palm out and brushed it over the mound of bubbles. They felt like damp velvet and she brought them to her nose and sniffed. They smelled nice. "I don’t want to mess them up," she said, looking back at the blond lady. "They’re too pretty."
"Oh no," the lady said with a flick of her hand. "Is like playing on new snow! It’s fun!"
Katrina shook her head. "I don’t like messing up new snow."
The lady laughed and picked her up. "Well, if you do not use them they will soon disappear, so get in!"
Katrina sank into the water and was immediately enveloped in a cozy heat that almost brought tears to her eyes. She never wanted to leave this bath ever!
"Stay right there," the lady said as she left the bathroom.
Her mother’s wails got louder as she opened the door and muffled when it closed. Katrina stared at the door wondering when her mother would get quiet. If she kept screaming like this then wouldn’t Daddy find them? And then it would really be the end. And where was Teddy?
Katrina sat up, the porcelain bottom of the tub squeaking loudly under her bum. She lifted her hands out of the water and stared at the bubbles piled upon them. They weren’t just white, there was little spots of color in them, like little rainbows. When she rubbed her hands together, they disappeared.
"Back little one," the lady said as she came back in. She had an empty pitcher and a basket of fruit in her arms. Katrina’s eyes went immediately to the fruit and her mouth watered.
Katrina continued to stare at the fruit as the lady filled the pitcher with water and then came to the side of the tub. "We have to wash your hair now," she said.
Katrina nodded and obediently moved her head every which way as the lady’s strong fingers moved over her scalp with the nice smelling shampoo and then rinsed it all out with the water pitcher. Katrina closed her eyes as tightly as she could and covered them with her fingers until the lady told her it was OK.
"Good! Good! Good!" she said airily and she smoothed Katrina’s wet hair back from her face. "All clean now but now let’s get you out of there, eh?"
Katrina frowned, she didn’t want to leave the bath so soon but when she looked at the now rust colored and dingy bubbles she knew that she had to. Her mother’s blood was swirling all through the water and had ruined the bath. Another reason to be angry at her, she spoiled her bath.
Katrina let the lady pull her out of the bath and she stood shivering until the lady wrapped her in a thick, fuzzy towel. "You’re hair is so pretty," she said to her. "I want yellow hair."
The lady raised her eyebrows and smiled again. "Your hair is pretty too kitten, so black like Snow White."
Katrina shook her head. "What’s that?"
"Snow White is a princess," the lady said. "With black hair and ivory skin, like you."
That made Katrina feel real special. "And green eyes too?"
The lady made a thinking frown, the kind teacher’s got when they were asked questions. "I don’t know," she replied. "I cannot remember what color her eyes are, but you have pretty green ones, like emeralds. Like jewels, so perhaps you are prettier than Snow White yes?"
"Maybe Snow White is my real Mommy," Katrina said hopefully, imagining the wonderful possibilities.
The lady pulled an apple out of the basket, it was shiny red and reminded Katrina of nail polish. "Have an apple," she said.
Katrina wasted no time in snatching the apple and sinking her teeth into the meat of it. The juice slid down her throat and awakened the roars of her stomach. "Where’s Teddy?" she asked through her frantic chews.
"He is dirty," the lady replied so I will clean him tonight.
"I love Teddy," she said. "He’s the only thing I love."
"Well I am sure he is a good friend," the lady said with yet another sad smile.
"He is!" Katrina said, suddenly feeling comfortable with this person. "He’s big and fat and soft and he never yells at me or hits me. And Mom would have left him behind and I would have lost him forever!"
"Your mother loves you," the lady said picking Katrina up and carrying her out of the bathroom and into a bedroom. Her mother was sobbing now, but not as loud as before. "That is why she is taking you away."
"I don’t care," Katrina replied as the lady sat her on the bed and began rummaging through a drawer until she pulled out a T-shirt. She let the lady put it on and when it was, Katrina said, "She doesn’t try to fight back, she only cries and lets him hurt her and she doesn’t feed me. I don’t like her."
The nice lady shook her head and kissed her on the cheek. "Go to sleep now, it will be better in the morning."
Katrina’s eyes were closed as the lady tucked her under a fat, comfortable, blanket and she was asleep before she could think of anything more.
Katrina’s stomach woke her up in the morning like it usually did and for a moment she thought she was back home. But there was sunlight spilling into the room onto the soft bed and she remembered that she would never be home again. And Teddy was here! There was no blood on him and he was clean and he smelled like perfume. Katrina smiled and squeezed him to her, and then her tummy screamed again.
Where was Mom? Where was that lady? Katrina sat up and cringed when her feet touched the cold wood floor. She curled her toes and then gathering her courage she hopped out of bed and snatched a pair of dingy socks lying on the floor. She tugged them on, and they were so big they rolled all the way past her bony, red knees. When she let go of them they fell loose around her ankles. As long as they covered her feet, Katrina was happy.
She could hear someone moving in the apartment. Katrina stood still. Then there was a loud knocking on the door. Curious, Katrina tiptoed down the hallway, slinking against the wall and peeking. The nice lady opened the door and made a surprised sound as a tall, reddish haired man who looked like some mustached hobo, just stepped in and grabbed her. He was pressing her mouth to hers and his hands were grabbing her bottom.
Katrina frowned. Sometimes Daddy grabbed Mommy like that but this lady seemed to like it. Her hands were running through his hair, people on TV did things like that.
"Larry," she said in a gaspy voice when he pressed his mouth onto her neck. "Not now."
"Yes now," he said in a deep voice and his hands slid up the front of her shirt. Katrina got angry. Was this lady as weak as Mom was? Did she let men do things to her too?
"No," the lady said in an irritated tone and she pushed him away. Katrina felt nervous now. He would hit her for certain.
The man named Larry frowned like he was angry but he didn’t hit her. Why not? Was he scared of her? That made Katrina smile.
"Why?" he asked, "All I could think of for the past week was you and that night. I want to taste you again!"
"Oh shut up!" the lady said. Katrina covered her mouth and still Larry did not hit her. "You men are such... such puppies with the whining and begging eyes! I am in no mood! And besides, there is a little one here, that’s why."
"A little one?" Larry said with a frown. "What?"
"She is Volanges’ daughter," the lady said. "They came here last night. Patrick is with Connie and they are buying tickets for The United States I think."
Larry’s face reddened. "Michele!" he exclaimed. "Do you know what that man is capable of? And you steal his family? He better not find out!"
That was her name? Michele.
Michele pressed her mouth to Larry’s cheek and patted him on the shoulder. "We will be fine, yes?" she said.
Katrina’s stomach growled again and she pattered into the room. "I’m hungry!" she said. "I want food!"
Both of them looked at her and Michele grabbed Larry’s hand and squeezed it. "I want one like her," she said. "I want to hear my own little girl say just those words."
Larry rolled his eyes. "You don’t need one."
"Alright," Michele said with a sparkling smile. "How about some pancakes?"
"Pancakes?" Larry laughed and then he looked at Katrina and she tightened. She didn’t want men looking at her. "Sweetie you’ll be safer with cereal, Mimi can’t boil water."
"Shows what you know!" Michele exclaimed in an angry voice. "I can make pancakes, and I can make them good! Coco taught me!"
"Great," Larry said, "And as big as Pierre is getting you will ruin Patrick."
Katrina watched Michele as the lady came out of the kitchen with narrowed eyes and walking up to Larry she whacked him on the back of the head with her hand. "Be nice!" she snapped and she stalked back into the kitchen.
"Ow," Larry said, a smile on his face as he rubbed his head. "See how mean she is?" he said to her. "Don’t make her mad."
Katrina sniffed and looked away from him and at Michele as she was dropping butter into a frying pan. She had done everything to this man that Mom was never supposed to do. She could get away with hitting him? Then this was a powerful lady! She wasn’t like her mom at all and Katrina felt a comfort. She knew at that moment that women could be a lot different than her mother was and she vowed to herself that she would do everything possible to never, ever be like her mother.
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